The present invention relates to a belt buckle and relates more particularly to such a belt buckle having a replaceable ornamental face plate. The belt buckle has sliding grooves on two opposite sides of a rectangular top recess thereof and spring-supported steel balls in holes on the sliding grooves, and therefore different ornamental face plates can be alternatively and replaceably fastened to the belt buckle like a lidless box made to slide in and out of a table.
The belt which is to be worn round the waist to hold the trousers is commonly attached with a belt buckle for joining the ends of the belt. Belts or belt buckles of different colors and designs may be used to match trousers of different colors and designs. However, it is not economic to prepare various belt buckles or belts in order to match trousers of different colors and designs. Further, frequently changing a belt buckle from one belt to another may cause the fastening device of the belt buckle damaged easily.
FIG. 1 shows a belt buckle having a replaceable ornamental plate. The ornamental plate can be conveniently detached from the base frame, and therefore a replacement of the same structure in a different design can be alternatively fastened to the base frame. However, this structure of belt buckle is still not satisfactory in function. Because the base frame and the ornamental plate are designed to hold either end of the belt, the base frame and the ornamental plate are stretched from each other when the belt is worn round the waist, and therefore the connecting parts between the base frame and the ornamental plate may be loosened or damaged easily. Another drawback of this structure of belt buckle is that the belt must be unfastened each time the ornamental plate is to be replaced. Further, because the base frame and the ornamental plate are connected in series, an ornamental design which cover the whole area of the outside surface of the belt buckle cannot be kept in integrity. In order to keep the ornamental design in integrity, it can only be made on the ornamental plate, namely, partial area of the outside surface of the belt buckle.